White Lies
by sekainoowari
Summary: The continuation of the relationship between Mizuki Hajime and Kitajima Ayumi  for reference read "Moments forever faded" . They started dating on a whim, to forget their unrequited feelings. What happens if one of them falls in love?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

For reference of the previous happenings between the main characters, read the story titled "Moments forever faded". This is somewhat a continuation of the previous story. However, it centers around the relationship between Ayumi and Mizuki, as a side story focusing on Ayumi's best friend Haruhi.

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><p><strong>White lies<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**Their world**

They say that having true friends is the greatest treasure of all. But when you get too attached to that person, things can get out of hand.

"Haruhi! Wait- Stop pulling!" called out Ayumi, a blond teen with long straight hair.

She was trying to stop her best friend and doubles partner from pulling her down the street. School had just ended, and they didn't have practice that day. The purple headed girl in front of her didn't listen. She just continued pulling her best friend her aimlessly with her.

"I said I have business to attend to! Let go! Will you stop already?" Ayumi raised her voice by a tone.

With her own force, Ayumi brought both of them to full stop. However, Haruhi had no intention of letting go. Instead, she tightened her grip on Ayumi's wrist, as she looked seriously at the blond teen. Ayumi tried to keep a cool head, and not provoke her best friend. She knew how Haruhi was easy to irritate. She was the only one able to calm her down. So, Ayumi gave returned the same serious look but then it disappeared, light reappearing in her eyes.

"Jeez, Haruhi, calm down. I told you, I have to go someplace. What's wrong? Why did you pull me all of a sudden? This isn't like you." started Ayumi calmly.

The said teen's eyebrow jumped up at her remark. Haruhi didn't give into Ayumi's 'calming down Haruhi phase'.

"You can just say it out loud, you know." stated Haruhi coldly, still gripping onto the blonds' hand. Ayumi raised her eyebrows, blinking a few times in confusion.

"Huh? I'm not quite following you-" started Ayumi but Haruhi narrowed her eyes.

"You and Mizuki. You're still dating that stalker freak, aren't you? That's where you were about to go. To meet HIM!" grunted Haruhi, pushing the last word through her breath.

Ayumi's face expression froze, as she then looked away. She couldn't deny it; she was still going out with Mizuki. Haruhi gritted her teeth because she knew that expression. It was true, and she didn't like it.

"I will not let you go to where he is!" demanded Haruhi, as she started pulling the blond teen again.

Ayumi just in time yanked her hand out of her best friend's grasp. She didn't get angry. Rather, Ayumi wore a concerned expression like she always did, when she tried to calm Haruhi down.

"Haruhi, why are you so concerned about this? I believe I have my own right to choose someone I want to go out with." said Ayumi calmly. Haruhi balled her hands into fists, as she hid her eyes under her bangs in an effort to control herself.

"I just don't understand. Why him? Why does it have to be someone like him?" asked Haruhi in anger.

The blond teen opened her mouth to say something but didn't say anything. She simply sighed, as she cast her gaze to the ground.

"I just don't understand. How can you date that guy when you don't even love him?" asked Haruhi in anger.

Ayumi raised her head, staring back in shock. She knew that Haruhi was fond of her but never had she expected her to be this concerned about her.

"How can you smile around him? How can you be so friendly with each other? Why choose him? Ayu-chan, I will not stand by and watch this. He's not worth you. I believe he doesn't even love you." said Haruhi a lot calmer this time, trying to talk some sense into her. Ayumi made a defiant look as she shot her eyes down again.

"What makes you think that? We have been dating for more than a half year now. Doesn't that mean that we have a strong bond?" asked Ayumi silently. She didn't want to indicate any signs that she wasn't completely true to her doubles partner.

"A kiss without love is the same as kissing a corps! Ayu-chan, I saw you two. When he kissed you, you didn't mind but… I couldn't see any emotion coming from the both of you. This is just wrong. I can't accept him as your boyfriend." said Haruhi with a desperate face expression. Ayumi just stared down, furring her upper lip.

"There's nothing wrong-" she whispered but Haruhi beat her to it.

"You don't know him at all. He is from a different school and they're our opponents. He's just using you, like he uses others to get information. Everyone knows this. That's why I can't stand listening to when people talk about Ayu-chan behind your back. Saying that you might betray us… I always supported you and I kept cool about it until now but I can't anymore. Ayu-chan, he's not the one you should be with." begged Haruhi.

Ayumi didn't look at her. Both girls stood in silence. Only when the cold breeze blew through Ayumi's golden strands, she raised her head, putting a soft smile on her face.

"Thank you, Haruhi, for supporting me. But-" Ayumi swallowed her next words. She wanted to tell her but decided to lie, "-I do like him and I need to see him. I'm sorry."

With that said, the blond teen spun around, leaving Haruhi speechless. The purple haired girl made an angry, yet sad face expression. She didn't like it. She hated the fact that Mizuki was the one she chose. Besides, taking away her precious time with Ayumi, Mizuki was a despicable guy to Haruhi's opinion. She had heard too many things about him from Inui and other regulars. It hurt her to hear people talking ill about her best friend but she could never leave her, even if people would start speaking the same about her.

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><p>Ayumi walked down the street to the appointed meeting place. She had walked for quite a while after parting with Haruhi. The blond teen wore a sad and tired expression. She thought that she and Mizuki had made it more or less believable that they were dating. But it seemed that she could never fool Haruhi, who was her best friend and doubles partner. She had to lie to her about her relationship with Mizuki but she didn't lie about her liking him.<p>

It was after Ayumi succeeded in making Fuji go after Yumi, finally bringing them together. She had a crush on Fuji for a long time but she knew that he loved only Yumi. The reason why Ayumi went out of their way was because she cared for both of them, only wanting to see them happy. She didn't take her feelings into account. Instead, she hid them for the sake of the couple. She didn't even tell Haruhi about it because didn't want her to be too worried about her. The only one she could talk to about this, was the person with the same feelings as her. That was Mizuki.

Mizuki was Yumi's childhood friend and considered Fuji to be his rival. Mizuki had a crush on Yumi, and cared for her deeply but never did he confess to her. He knew Yumi had feelings for the Fuji, so he did everything to see her happy, even if it meant silencing his feelings.

By that time it all began. Both Ayumi and Mizuki saw that they were similar, and could only trust each other. Both needed someone that could understand the other and help forget about their unrequited feelings. From that time on, they started dating. Although, they acted as a couple, they were far off from that feeling towards each other. From the true feeling which is called love and affection…

'_I'm sorry, Haruhi. There is something that only Hajime can give me. Even though it's not love, I still need to see him.'_ she thought, sighing.

Ayumi didn't lie about liking him. They got to know each other better during the time that they had spent together. Even though people spoke differently about him, Ayumi got to know sides of him that no one else knew. During this time she felt a mysterious attachment to Mizuki, and sometimes even expressed her affection unconscious to her true feelings. She felt like she could talk to him about anything. He became like her best friend, slowly squeezing out Haruhi. Ayumi felt guilty about it. It was wrong to substitute her best friend over her boyfriend.

'_I'll have to apologize to her.'_ thought Ayumi, cursing herself for being so foolish.

The blond teen reached a park. She spotted Mizuki walking to the place that they decided to meet at. He didn't notice her, so Ayumi made a soft smirk, as she followed him.

'_Haruhi, I can't tell you the reason why I'm doing this because you'll disapprove even more.'_ thought Ayumi. Mizuki came to a halt. Ayumi was just a few steps away from him.

'_I know you care about me but there are things __that I can't tell you. Even if just a little, we can help each other forget about Yumi-san and Fuji-san.' _Ayumi tried to squeeze out a smile as good as she could as she stretched out her hand to catch Mizuki's attention.

'_I don't want to lose you, Haruhi__, but I can't throw this away either. I don't want to feel the same pain again.'_ she thought, her eyes widening at her thoughts.

Mizuki felt the sleeve of his shirt being pulled, so he turned to his left only to find Ayumi, looking straight at him.

"Hajime." she said silently as she pushed a depressing smile out.

The said teen turned to her. He wanted to return the smile but it disappeared when he noticed Ayumi shedding tears. She must've done it unconsciously because she was looking at him with a frail smile and sad eyes. He figured that something had happened.

"Ayumi. What happened?" he asked with concern written all over his face. The said teen widened her eyes.

"What?" she inquired, not following his words. Mizuki reached out to her eyes, as he put his hand to the stream that was flowing down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he asked again.

Ayumi perked up, quickly looking at his hand. She then examined her cheeks with her fingers. She finally noticed that tears were flowing on their own.

"What? Why am I crying? I'm sorry. I'll be fine in a moment." she said, turning around to wipe her tears away.

She didn't want their date to start off with a negative atmosphere. Mizuki looked at her suspiciously. It wasn't like her to show such a sad side. He had always seen her smiling, and liked the cheerful side of her. Mizuki took her hand gently, which caused Ayumi to turn around.

"What happened, Ayumi?" he asked again, smiling reassuringly. The said teen stared at him for a few seconds before smiling faintly.

"Sorry. Can we just stay here for a while?" she asked. Mizuki didn't stumble upon an answer and agreed.

Both teens sat in the park on a bench. Ayumi had told him what happened before she got there. Mizuki listened through all of her concerns, as he sighed at the very end of her story. He then pulled out his notes and started reading them.

"So, your best friend considers me to be a fiend, huh?" he asked with sarcasm. Ayumi glanced at him.

"Well, you can put it that way. I know that she's purely concerned about me but- I just feel like I'm neglecting her." said Ayumi, sighing. Mizuki turned a page in his notes as he continued listening to her.

"Hmm… Then don't. I'm not forcing you into this. If you want to break up-"

"No, I don't want to." said Ayumi quickly before he could say more.

Mizuki glanced at her. He then smirked. There was a short period of silence before one of them spoke again.

"Hajime?" asked Ayumi, confirming that she had his attention.

"Hm? What is it?" Mizuki didn't lift his eyes from his notes (apparently that was some data that he had gathered not too long ago).

"Do you remember why we're even doing this?" asked the blond teen.

"Eh, it's to forget the feelings that we had, right? In my case it's towards Yumi, in yours it's towards Fuji-kun." he said calmly. Ayumi smiled softly.

"And do you know why I agreed to be your girlfriend?" Ayumi asked again. Mizuki switched his eyes to her.

"It's because you need to fill that emptiness inside your heart. The emptiness from seeing Fuji-kun with Yumi… You want to suppress your desire to be in Yumi's place." he said, being sure of his answer.

Ayumi stared at him for a mere second. She was struck by his almost precise answer. She then sneered softly.

"Hn, is that another of your conclusions from the gathered data?" she asked sarcastically. Mizuki gave a quick grin as he turned back to his notes.

"Well, more or less." he said.

"Hn." Ayumi smiled softly, switching her gaze to the sky.

It was true what he said. She felt empty seeing Yumi and Fuji together. She wanted to suppress the desire. And the only way she could do that was to have someone she could spend time with, and feel equal to Yumi. That was just another reason why Ayumi agreed to be Mizuki's girlfriend. She knew that he didn't mind about this. He probably had the same reason as her. They just wanted to fill that emptiness with something. They just didn't know a better way than dating on a whim.

Silence filled the place for a while. It was spring time. A month had passed after the new school year started. Sayaka had returned from the US, and tennis practice resumed as always. It was hell once again for the girl's team but Ayumi had other things to worry about as well.

As Mizuki turned a page in his notes, he felt something heavy on his shoulder. Turning his head to the source, he spotted a few golden strands hanging down on his shoulder. Ayumi had rested her head against him.

"Can I borrow your shoulder for a while?" she inquired with a tired voice. Mizuki simply smiled, turning back to his notes.

"Go ahead." he said. Ayumi sighed, as she closed her eyes, letting the warm and fresh breeze embrace her.

It felt good. She felt calm for that one moment, forgetting about her worries. For some reason she wanted to rest her head only on that shoulder. The broad, warm and soft shoulder…

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><p>Ayumi and Mizuki walked down a street. It was getting dark as Mizuki decided to walk Ayumi home. They lived far away from each other but he still went through the trouble to walk her home. It was one of the ways to show the small affection that he had for her. He liked her, and admitted to her when he asked her to go out with him. However, he couldn't compare that affection that he had for Ayumi, which he felt for Yumi. It could be only considered as friendship.<p>

The teens reached Ayumi's house, and came to a halt. Ayumi spun around to say goodbye.

"Thanks for walking me home. Be careful on your way back." she said with a smile. Mizuki simply smiled back, giving a quick kiss onto her lips.

"Goodnight, Ayumi." he said. As he was about to turn around to leave, he noticed Ayumi with a sad glow in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he inquired. The blond teen looked at him.

"Say, is this wrong… what we're doing? I mean, we don't love each other but we act like a couple. Is this really okay?" asked Ayumi with faint desperation written in her eyes. Mizuki sighed as he brushed through his hair.

"I don't think it's all that wrong. It's true that we have feelings for other people but it's also true that I like you. Would I have asked you to be my girlfriend if I didn't like you?" he countered. Ayumi widened her eyes for a second. She then shot her head at the ground.

"Well, no." she said silently.

"And would you have accepted my offer if you hated me?" he asked again.

Ayumi raised her head only to find Mizuki with an obvious face expression. They stood in silence for a few seconds, when Ayumi slowly moved towards Mizuki. She wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his chest. The data gatherer was a bit struck by her sudden action.

"Are you okay with hearing people saying things about what our true intentions are behind this relationship?" asked Ayumi sadly.

Mizuki sighed softly, returning the hug. He felt that she was just shouldering this on her own, so he decided to lift that weight off of her a bit.

"Let them say what they want. You and I both know the truth behind this. Isn't that enough?" he said gently. Ayumi sighed and let him go.

"Thanks, Hajime. Sorry that this turned out to be so depressing today." said Ayumi, looking away in embarrassment. Mizuki patted her head.

"Since I had to listen to your whining today, how about a fun date next time?" he asked. Ayumi sweat dropped. He didn't have to call it whining. Well, she did act all girly, she had to admit.

"Oh, alright then. You want a fun date? You'd better not regret it afterwards." said the blond teen with a devilish grin.

This caused Mizuki to withdraw his hand in an instant. He really shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He had already experienced the first time they had come across each other. He then sighed, shaking off the uneasy feeling. The couple parted ways shortly. Ayumi stood outside of her house, watching the figure disappearing into the darkness.

'_I wonder what we would do__ if Yumi-san and Fuji-san broke up?'_ she asked herself, sadness reappearing in her eyes.

If this would really happen, she wouldn't want to go chasing her feelings again. It would be just too hard for her to turn around, and go back. Right now, Ayumi only wanted to move forward. She wanted to see if she could have feelings for someone else.

'_What about Mizuki? What would he do?'_ was what she asked herself. Somehow it was the only thing that she desired to know now.

Ayumi stood in front of the entrance door for a while, pondering on that question. She then chuckled. Softness reappearing in her eyes, she placed her hand on the door handle.

"Well, I'll just ask him when I have the chance." said Ayumi silently, as she entered her house.

**Next chapter**

Ayumi plans out a date with Mizuki. They encounter Fuji and Yumi on one of their own dates… "You say you can predict anything. Then try predicting this: According to your data, what will I do if by any chance Yumi-san and Fuji-san break up?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Wandering, never wondering**

The next week Ayumi first thing went to look for Haruhi. She wanted to apologize. No, she needed it. The blond teen didn't want to lose her best friend. However, she didn't want to go in telling details to Haruhi because she didn't want her best friend to worry even more, more like Ayumi didn't want Haruhi to disapprove of her actions more than she did now. There were just some things that Ayumi wished to keep to herself.

"Haruhi." said Ayumi, looking gently at the said teen.

The purple headed girl turned around, first thing giving a defiant look. Haruhi sighed after she saw Ayumi's warm eyes brimming at her. The purple headed teen turned her head away for a second, making a depressed yet soft face expression. Ayumi walked up closer to her.

"Can we talk, please?" asked Ayumi.

Haruhi raised her head, as she nodded slowly. Both teens headed someplace quiet because as Inui would say: 'there is a 90% chance that Eiji might pop out of nowhere and start throwing random questions'. They didn't want to deal with the hyperactive acrobatic player of Seigaku. Especially, Haruhi.

Haruhi stood with her back against the wall. They went outside of the building, where no one could disturb them. Ayumi opened her mouth to say something but then bit her bottom lip. She didn't know how to start. The best thing to do was apologize at first.

"Haruhi, I'm… Sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that back then. I don't want us to argue because of something like this. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you. So, please, forgive me." she said looking directly into Haruhi's eyes.

Haruhi gaped at her for a mere second. She then unfolded her arms, as she sighed softly. She couldn't help it. Ayumi's apology was just too sincere for her to argue back. Haruhi was especially weak against her, when she put a soft and apologetic expression.

"Okay, I forgive you." she said. Ayumi's expression became brighter when she heard her best friend saying that.

"Haruhi-"

"But-" said Haruhi again. Ayumi perked up at the 'but'.

"-I will not accept Mizuki as your boyfriend." Haruhi stared intently at Ayumi with a serious face.

"Haruhi, I-I just-" mumbled Ayumi. She tried to find the words to convince her but it was useless. Haruhi narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me, why Mizuki? I never heard you mentioning him. I didn't even know you liked him. I know you better than anyone else, yet in one moment you chose Mizuki. Tell me, why?" asked Haruhi. Ayumi lowered her head_. _

'_There are a lot of things __that you don't know about me, my feelings, my past…'_ thought Ayumi but she stayed silent, not answering anything.

"You say that I'm your best friend, yet you can't even tell me THIS!" Haruhi raised her voice by a tone, becoming angry. The purple head quickly controlled herself and calmed down.

"Ayu-chan, I'm just worried about you. I don't want to see you getting hurt by that guy." she said in a calmer tone. Ayumi squeezed out a weak smile in order to hide her sadness.

"That's exactly the reason why I can't tell you." said the blond teen.

"Huh?" Haruhi blinked at her statement.

"I don't want you to worry about me too much. I don't want you to worry about things that have nothing to do with you-"

"Now don't you dare say that, Ayu-chan." Haruhi cut in with a serious tone, as she pointed at Ayumi accusingly.

Ayumi swallowed her words. She then smirked. Haruhi was right. If she would get hurt, it would have a lot to do with Haruhi because she cared about her… too much.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. But still, I don't want to see you worry about me. It will make me worried as well." said Ayumi. Haruhi stopped pointing at the blond teen and sighed.

"Can't you tell no matter what?" asked Haruhi for the last time. Ayumi turned her head away slowly.

"I'm sorry. This is just something that I can only share with him," said Ayumi, as she slowly turned her head back to Haruhi, she continued, "So, please, just trust me and try to trust Hajime as well."

There was silence for a few seconds before Haruhi sighed. She still didn't like the fact that Ayumi chose Mizuki, however if the blond girl was so persistent to stay with him, then there was nothing else she could do than support her best friend till the very end.

"I can't believe you like him this much-"

"I like him-"

"Liar." retorted Haruhi, looking at Ayumi intently. The blond teen in front of her smiled softly.

"I do like him." she said again convincingly.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes one last time but then gave up. If this was Ayumi's decision, then she could just stand by and watch over her.

"Fine. Let's leave it at that." gave in Haruhi. Ayumi sent a thankful smile.

"Thank you."

"However, I still won't accept him as Ayu-chan's boyfriend. If he dares hurt you, I will absolutely never forgive him. Mark my words, if he ever hurts you, even just a tiny bit, I-will-take-revenge." Haruhi said with determination, punctuating every single last word she said. Ayumi chuckled at her.

"Haruhi, you know me. I'm not that easy to deceive." said Ayumi, smiling gently.

Haruhi sighed again as she scratched her head. She was really getting tired of worrying about Ayumi. She needed to concentrate on tennis for now.

"Then let's go. Classes are about to start." reminded Haruhi, as both teens headed into the building.

'_Ayu-chan, just what happened? We used to talk about everything before. We didn't hide __anything from each other. What happened to us?' _thought Haruhi, as she followed Ayumi with her eyes.

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><p>Practice.<p>

"Say, Shinomiya-san is really good at doubles with Fuji-san." said Tomoka.

Sakuno was standing right next to her friend. The teens were observing Fuji and Yumi playing against Momo and Rika.

"Yeah…" agreed Sakuno absent mindedly.

Fuji and Yumi were currently leading by one game. Rika and Momo had gotten better at doubles after getting serious at the Nationals for Sayaka's sake. They did argue a little bit from time to time but it seemed that now they were on better terms than before.

After a while Ayumi also appeared. She observed the match because she had done her practice and had nothing better to do.

"Heeh, Rika-chan and Momoshiro-kun are really good together. They can actually keep up with that couple." said Ayumi, glancing at Yumi and Fuji. Tomoka and Sakuno exchanged glances.

"Say, Ayumi-senpai. Is it true that Shinomiya-san and Fuji-senpai are-"

"-dating?" Ayumi finished the question in Tomoka's stead. She grinned, as she continued, "Yes, it's true. Haven't you noticed?"

Sakuno and Tomoka stared at the blond teen for a few seconds before turning their heads to the couple.

"Huh…" they said.

"Practically the whole school knows this." came a voice from their other side. Apparently Echizen was interested in the match as well.

"Ryoma-kun." said Sakuno, switching her attention to her prince.

"4 games all!" called the referee.

The teens turned their attention back to the court. Yumi and Fuji had missed Rika's smash, which caused them to lose a game. It was a tie now.

"How did you like that? Now, Yumi-senpai, Fuji-senpai, let's start the real game!" said Rika with a rather arrogant face expression.

Momo put his racket onto his shoulder, as he smiled in satisfaction when he saw Rika like that. He found her sexy with that kind of attitude. As Yumi walked up to Fuji, both of them exchanged a few words. They then turned to the other pair, grinning back sadistically.

"Heeh, Momo-senpai is actually getting along with that girl." commented Echizen.

"Well, yeah. They do look good together though!" called out Ayumi on purpose for Rika to hear every single word.

She liked to tease the brown haired teen because she was too obvious about her feelings for Momo. She just didn't realize it herself. Rika twitched at her comment.

"Nice shot, Rika-chan." said Momo. A vein throbbed on Rika's forehead, her face becoming redder by the second.

'_Who are you calling Rika-chan?'_ she thought.

She snorted back, walking back to her position. Yumi and Fuji chuckled. They seemed to have something in mind already. The match resumed. Fuji served the ball, and Momo went up to the net to receive it. He shot it to the deepest corner to Yumi's right but the girl reacted in time, as she returned the ball with ease. Rika went after the ball, hitting a drop shot. The rally continued for quite a while, when Momo finally scored a point.

"Love-15!" called the referee.

"Nice one, Momoshiro." commented Rika. Momo smiled back at her praise.

"My, Rika-chan, you sure get along with Momoshiro-kun!" called out Yumi. As Rika caught on Yumi's tone, it was the last straw for the brown haired girl.

"Who wants to be friendly with that big oaf?" she shouted, pointing with her racket at Momo viciously. The spiky haired teen blinked stupidly.

"Who's the big oaf, you flat-chested-" retorted Momo, however, he swallowed his words because noticed Rika's eyes flashing at him in fury.

They started arguing. Just when Momo thought they might work together in peace, things got to this again. Despite their effort, they still had some issues with each other.

"Shup up, you jerk!" barked Rika. Echizen sighed.

"Mada mada dane, Momo-senpai." he commented.

Ayumi felt her jaw twitching. Yumi and Fuji had done it again. They broke them mentally for that was their plan from the very start.

"Chi-bi-su-keeee!" called out a female voice behind Echizen.

The said boy sweat dropped, feeling what was about to come. He slowly turned around but the female hung on his shoulders, hugging him affectionately.

"Wai- Saya-nee-san!" he called out, trying to get his cousin off of him. Sayaka simply grinned back widely and didn't let go.

"Say, chibisuke. Let's do some practice." she said. Echizen made a face.

"No way." he said. Sayaka's eyes turned darker, as she grinned evilly.

"Oh, Mitsuuuu! Ryo-kun said he didn't want to do the practice that you assigned him to!" she called out.

Echizen gaped at her, as he felt eagle like eyes staring him off from the distance. He decided to do the practice. The raven haired teen grinned widely, dragging Echizen with her.

"You sure know how to torture people, Saya-nee-san." he mumbled under his breath.

"Hm? I'm sorry, what was that?" asked Sayaka with a meaningful smile, which freaked Echizen out.

"Ouch!" screeched Yumi on the courts.

The regulars who were watching the match quickly turned back to the courts only to find Yumi now sitting on the ground. Fuji rushed to his love and tried to help her up. She had scrapped her knee, as dirt was covering her wound.

"I'm sorry, Syuusuke. I got a bit careless." she said, apologizing.

The said teen made a soft expression as he lifted her from the ground in his arms. Ayumi's heart cracked seeing their loving expressions; their eyes gazing at each other.

'_No, don't look at them. It's just how it's supposed to be.' _Ayumi reminded herself, as she switched her eyes to the ground.

Fuji took Yumi off the courts to take care of her bruise. Tomoka and Sakuno blushed a bit, witnessing the whole scene.

"Wai- Syuusuke. It's just a scratch. I can finish the match-" said Yumi.

"No." said Fuji with a loving expression, slowly, carrying her away.

"Wow, Fuji-senpai really cares about her." said Sakuno more like to herself than anyone else.

There was pain reflected in Ayumi's eyes, as she still stared at the ground. She gritted her teeth, then walking away somewhere further, where she wouldn't see them together.

'_Why? Why did I run away all of a sudden? It's how it's supposed to be. I thought I was okay with seeing them like this. But still, why di__d it suddenly start hurting so much?'_ thought Ayumi.

* * *

><p>As the week continued, Ayumi felt a bit uneasy with seeing Yumi and Fuji, so she tried to avoid them for a while. After a few days she finally calmed down. Still, her chest felt heavy. She hadn't met up with Mizuki for the past week, so she didn't get the chance to fill that emptiness inside of her, which started growing day by day. Somehow, she really wanted to see him. She had to admit to herself that she was growing really fond of Mizuki.<p>

Just before the last day of the school week she happened to walk to the shop near St. Rudolph along with Kotoko. They saw a nice café, so they decided to go there. What Ayumi was looking forward to when she entered the café, was to see Mizuki. Her wish truly came true…

Mizuki and a couple of his teammates were sitting further to her left. Mizuki was really into telling something to his teammates. Even though he was sitting with his back to Ayumi, the blond teen recognized his voice instantly. She smirked happily, as she made her way to their table.

"So you see, Yuuta-kun, you should be careful with that shot-" said Mizuki but then blinked stupidly, when he noticed Yanagizawa and Yuuta staring past him.

"Say, Yuuta-kun, am I dreaming or is that blond beauty looking this way, dane?" asked Yanagizawa, blushing when the said girl smirked softly.

"A-Ah. Senpai, you know her?" whispered Yuuta back to him.

Mizuki simply sat in front of them blinking stupidly. He then rested his hand onto his chin, sighing in boredom because the two weren't listening to him anyways.

"Nah, I have no idea. W-Wait a sec, she's walking over here, dane." said Yanagizawa, becoming all nervous.

Ayumi smiled evilly to herself. Mizuki hadn't mentioned to his teammates that he had a girlfriend. So she decided to **introduce** herself to them.

"No way." commented Yuuta, sweat dropping in disbelief. As Ayumi walked up to their table, she leaned onto it, resting her hand against the surface.

"Hey, boys. Mind if I disturb your conversation for a minute?" she asked in a husky tone.

The second he heard her voice, Mizuki widened his eyes, raising his head from his hand. He recognized the blond teen in an instant. Ayumi turned her face to Mizuki with a wide smile.

"A-Ayu-" started Mizuki all flustered but didn't get to say a word because he was too surprised to see her.

"Hey, Hajime." she said, as she caressed his cheek softly.

Mizuki could only gape at her actions. Yuuta and Yanagizawa were staring at them with their jaws wide open. Ayumi glanced at Mizuki's other companions, as she then moved closer to his cheek, kissing it softly. Witnessing the whole scene, the poor boys started having fits.

"Didn't expect to see you here." whispered Ayumi. Mizuki sighed but then frowned at the blond teen for pulling a fast one on him.

"Yeah, right. What are you up to?" he asked. Ayumi pulled away and made a face of discontent.

"Oh, come on, I haven't seen you for a whole week and you give me such a plain welcome." she retorted playfully.

Yanagizawa and Yuuta regained their senses, as they continued to stare at Ayumi and Mizuki, while they were having their conversation.

"Ayumi… Nevermind. What brings you here?" asked Mizuki. Ayumi smirked, as she then quickly leaned in closer to his face again.

"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to say 'hi'. You're this surprised, huh? You have data on me, can't you predict this much?" she asked sarcastically.

Mizuki sighed again. Somehow, she caught him off guard. However, that was exactly the part that he liked about her.

"Hey, Yuuta-kun. What is this? Why is this angel-like beautiful girl talking to Mizuki?" whispered Yanagizawa.

"No idea. Isn't this kind of wrong? I mean, someone as pure as her to hang out with Mizuki-san, the mastermind in disguise?" whispered back Yuuta. The two then turned back to the couple and sweat dropped.

'_No way in hell they're dating. No way.'_ both of them thought.

"Ayumi, there are people around here, you know. You shouldn't-" started Mizuki but Ayumi came even closer to his face before he could say a thing.

"Say, Hajime, you said you wanted a fun date last time. How about this weekend?" she asked.

Just then Yuuta dropped his cup of tea that he had been drinking. Staring in shock, he gaped at the two. Ayumi and Mizuki finally turned their attention to the two boys.

"You should be careful with that, Yuuta-kun." said Ayumi.

The said boy blinked stupidly. He didn't know her name but knew that she was from Seigaku. He had seen her during the camp before but forgot.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" asked Yuuta politely. Ayumi brushed her golden strand of hair, as she faced him.

"Kitajima Ayumi. Nice to meet you. I believe Hajime didn't mention me to you guys." she said. Mizuki simply sighed.

"Huh…" was Yuuta's reaction.

"Say, beautiful, how is it that you know us? Maybe, we've become quite popular, dane. How about we head somewhere fun-" started Yanagizawa, staring with interest at Ayumi.

For some reason his teammates' excessive attention on Ayumi ticked Mizuki off. He didn't like him flashing meaningful glances at his girlfriend.

"Yanagizawa, you shouldn't hit on other people's girlfriends." said Mizuki in a serious tone. Yuuta opened his mouth, sweat dropping at Yanagizawa.

'_Idiot, you should've got the picture when she mentioned a date with him.'_ thought Yuuta. Yanagizawa gaped for a mere second before he caught on Mizuki's tone of voice; he backed off.

"What? I was just joking. Just joking. Darn, why Mizuki?" mumbled Yanagizawa to himself the last sentence. Ayumi chuckled, as she glanced at Mizuki fondly. It made her a bit happy about what he said to his teammate.

"So, this girl…" started Yanagizawa.

"Yes, she's my girlfriend. Kitajima Ayumi. And yes, she's from Seigaku, so don't ask any further questions." said Mizuki in a monotone voice before Yanagizawa could ask anything unnecessary to which both Ayumi and Mizuki couldn't really answer truthfully and properly.

"Nice to meet you guys. That's enough for the introduction. So, how about Saturday, Hajime?" asked Ayumi turning back to Mizuki, leaning closer to his face again.

The said teen widened his eyes the instant he saw Ayumi's strands of hair hanging loosely down her shoulders. A faint shade of pink showed on his cheeks but then disappeared just as fast.

"Ah, sure. I'm free that day." he said a bit flustered. Ayumi grinned widely as she distanced her face from him.

"Okay, then Saturday. Bye, Hajime. See ya, guys!" said Ayumi, rushing back to Kotoko.

She waved happily to the confused Yuuta and Yanagizawa. Mizuki watched her before she disappeared behind the seat. He then smirked to himself.

"Huh… I can't believe you're going out with such a cute girl." mumbled Yanagizawa, already sulking over the fact that he thought that she was heading **his** way.

"Hmm, but, Mizuki-san, why didn't you mention her before? With her looks I don't think it's something to hide from us." commented Yuuta.

Mizuki stared at his kouhai for he was right about what he said. Ayumi was extremely beautiful; he knew that. However, he had his reasons for not telling them. Mizuki looked away, slowly making a sad yet soft expression.

"I had my own reasons doing so." he mumbled. Yuuta blinked.

"Huh?"

"Well, I suppose I should have told you earlier." he clarified himself.

Mizuki then glanced back to where Ayumi was sitting. She was staring out the window. He smiled gently, as he turned back to his coffee. He thought that he shouldn't have hid his relationship with Ayumi. He just didn't want others to know that he's dating a girl from Seigaku. He thought it wasn't fair towards Ayumi because the others in Seigaku knew that she's dating him, and she also had to hear people talking behind her back.

Well, not like he would care if he had done so with someone else but somehow he felt guilty doing this to Ayumi. He liked her, he admitted it. However, he still cared deeply for his childhood friend Yumi. Yet for the past few months he felt a lot more attached to Ayumi, expressing something more than just friendship. Unconscious to him, he had become very fond of her.

'_What am I thinking lately? Just why did I get angry at Yanagizawa when he stared at her? Has she…'_ thought Mizuki, sighing, as he looked out the window.

'_Summer… will be hot this year…'_

* * *

><p>Saturday.<p>

"Say, Hajime. According to your data, can you predict where I will take you?" asked Ayumi with expectation.

The couple walked down the street. Apparently, Ayumi had the saying that day for the date. Mizuki glanced at the blond girl, as he smiled softly. She was wearing a knee long baby blue dress and a light cardigan, white in color. He thought that she looked very cute. He had always thought that she had good sense for clothes that she constantly wore for their dates.

"Well, since I asked you to arrange a fun date, then it would be either the movies, theater-" he said rubbing his chin almost quite sure of himself. As both teens came to a halt, Mizuki stared in disbelief, slightly twitching.

"-or the amusement park." he finished his rant, sighing at the sight of attractions in front of him.

Ayumi grinned evilly because saw that Mizuki was a bit surprised. Well, she caught him off guard after all.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're weak against those rides?" asked Ayumi, pointing at the rollercoaster that was the highest in front of her.

Mizuki sweat dropped, as he switched his eyes to the blond girl.

'_I swear, she might not look like it, but she's a mastermind in disguise.'_ he thought darkly to himself.

"No, not really. Now, I will see through this date, Ayumi." he finally said with confidence. Ayumi returned the smirk.

Throughout the whole date Ayumi tried to get Mizuki on as many rides as possible because she wanted to take her mind off Fuji and Yumi. On the other hand, Mizuki's feelings didn't waver because he didn't have to see the couple every day at school. Ayumi got the feeling that that was why he asked her out on a fun date. He knew how she felt.

When Ayumi was done dragging Mizuki around the place, taking him on simple rides and attractions, she managed to get him on the big rollercoaster. Mizuki refused at first because he wasn't quite fond of extreme rides but the blond teen got him on it anyway.

After the ride, Ayumi came out quite cheerful but the black haired teen was still knocked out by the extreme ride. So he needed some time to come about. Ayumi laughed a bit at him, which caused Mizuki to want revenge against her.

"Can I get to choose the next one?" he asked.

Ayumi glanced at him. She then nodded. Mizuki smiled mischievously, as he pointed at a gloomy looking building with bloody-red letters on the shield. Ayumi sweat dropped. It was _The Haunted House_. She didn't like dark and scary places but didn't have a choice but to agree.

"S-Say, Hajime?" asked Ayumi in a trembling voice.

"Hm?" asked Mizuki rather absent mindedly.

"C-Can we walk a bit faster? I really don't like this." she said again, looking around the place in fear.

The ceiling was pitch black, crumbling from place to place. The walls were covered is some sort of weed, and it was dusty. What she really didn't like was the darkness and the solitary sound.

"Why? It's fun." he commented. Ayumi widened her eyes.

"How is THIS fun?" she retorted. As she then felt someone behind her, a 'ghost' made some sort of sound. Ayumi freaked out.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed, as she grabbed Mizuki's wrist, dashing as fast as she could towards the exit. The poor boy behind her blinked stupidly, as he then laughed at her. He found her adorable being scared like that.

"Ah, jeez! That was scary." whined Ayumi through breaths.

She then sighed, calming down. As Ayumi raised her head, she saw Mizuki smirking victoriously. The blond teen blushed, as she made a face.

"What are you laughing at?" she mumbled, turning her head away in embarrassment.

"No, nothing. I just thought you were cute that way." he said softly.

Ayumi blushed even more when she heard Mizuki saying something like that. As she turned her head to him, she found him smiling warmly at her. The blond teen stared at him. As she looked on, her eyes softened when the sunlight behind his back made his smile even brighter, warmer…

'_Ah, somehow I really love his face expression right now.'_ thought Ayumi. Ayumi's eyes widened, as her face became all red in a flash.

"Ayumi?" asked Mizuki, noticing that the girl in front of him was spacing out.

Instantly realizing what she had just thought, Ayumi perked up, turned her head away, and placed her palm in front of her mouth. In a daze she said, "No, it's nothing."

'_What? Just now I-'_ thought Ayumi.

Quickly regaining her senses, Ayumi turned around. Still blushing, she pointed up in front of her.

"Let's ride that, if you're not afraid of heights." said Ayumi.

Mizuki raised his head. Recognizing the tall round like ride in front of him, The Ferris Wheel, Mizuki chuckled, as he agreed.

* * *

><p>The teens sat opposite of each other, as the cabin went up higher. Ayumi looked out the window. She smiled softly.<p>

"I thought you might want to go on this one. It's kind of obvious though." said Mizuki with a confident look, his finger playing with his strand of hair. Ayumi froze for a second, as she then smirked silently.

"Really now? You can even predict the date, huh?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well, it was easy to tell where you would take me next." he said again. Ayumi sighed, closing her eyes for a second.

"Say, aren't you tired of predicting things?" she asked out of the blue. Interest was written all over Mizuki's face, as he rested his hand against his chin.

"Why? This way I can plan of what to do or how to act according to each situation." he answered confidently, looking forward to what she would say in return. Ayumi also rested her chin against her hand.

"That won't make the date fun at all. The world is full of unexpected situations, you can't just predict them. Life would just seem boring." she said. Mizuki sneered softly in return.

"What's wrong with predicting and gathering data? I just want to organize things and make it easier for others-"

"More like for yourself. It's like controlling their lives, knowing their every move, seeing the future." said Ayumi, gazing outside of the window.

Mizuki widened his eyes at her sudden response. To him it seemed, as if Ayumi thought that he had been looking down on people, treating them as tools for his plans. He also felt like the girl in front of him was afraid of the future. She wanted to stop time.

"What's wrong with seeing the future? If I can predict things and calculate the outcome, life would seem much easier that way." stated Mizuki. Ayumi slowly turned her head to him with a rather confident expression.

"You say you can predict anything. Then try predicting this: Tell me, what will I do if by any chance Yumi-san and Fuji-san break up?" she asked slowly with every word seeming as heavy as steel.

Mizuki widened his eyes, as he stared at the blond girl. He hadn't expected that sort of question from her. He really wasn't sure about his answer. He tried to search for it from the information that he had on Ayumi so far.

"W-Well, that's- It depends on the situation but either way you might-"

"-take the chance and go between them? If that's what you were about to say then it's wrong." said Ayumi looking seriously at Mizuki.

The black haired boy gaped at her answer because he was just about to say what she had finished in his stead. How was he wrong? Knowing Ayumi she might just do so but by the look in her eyes it said otherwise.

"Do you mean to tell me, you know the answer already?" he asked.

"That's right. I already have that answer, and I know exactly what I will do. Now tell me, what will YOU do if something like that happens?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes.

Mizuki got caught off guard. He didn't know the answer. He had never thought about it because the chances of Yumi and Fuji ever breaking up or arguing were close to zero. He knew how much they felt for each other, so never had he had this kind of thought in his mind. But, true. Even if the chances for this to happen were slim, he still should think about it. What would he do?

"I-It depends… When that time comes, I will just have to think of a solution and then act." he said all flustered. Catching his emotion, Ayumi smirked. That wasn't an answer that she wanted to hear.

"Then can you tell me what will happen right now? What do you suppose I will do?" she asked.

Upon asking this, Mizuki raised his head in confusion. What made things even more confusing, was when Ayumi stood up abruptly, leaning closer to his face. She rested her knee on the seat, as she kissed him.

Mizuki blushed… hard. The sweet scent of her hair that hung gently down her shoulders, somehow made him lose his mind… feel weak. He didn't know how to handle that feeling. For the past few months it was already hard for him to predict things that she might do. He was losing his touch.

'_Everything about her seems to intrigue me. I thought I knew her,__ …however because of moments like these which catch me off guard, not knowing what she's feeling… or what she's thinking, doing such small things all of a sudden, …make me think that I… actually know nothing about her. I want to know. Ayumi, who exactly are you?'_ thought Mizuki.

Ayumi slowly pulled away. She smiled softly, gazing warmly into Mizuki's eyes.

"You couldn't predict that now, could you?" she asked. Mizuki just blinked, staring at her. He was oblivious to her actions.

"Huh…" was his reaction, staring dumbfounded. Ayumi grinned widely. Just then the cabin came to a halt. She made her way towards the exit.

"Well, the ride ends here, Hajime." she said.

As Mizuki regained his senses, he stood up, and exited along with her. As he followed Ayumi behind her, Mizuki blushed, placing his fingers to his lips. A soft sensation still tingled on his lips. His eyes reflected a warm glow, as his mind drifted back to the thoughts that he had when she kissed him not too long ago.

* * *

><p>The couple walked outside of the amusement park. The twilight was burning, as a fresh breeze entangled Ayumi's golden hair.<p>

"Well, I guess the date was fun today." commented Mizuki.

The blond girl turned her head to him, and smiled gently. She then stopped when Mizuki halted abruptly. He was staring right in front of him. Ayumi turned in that direction. She widened her eyes. She didn't expect to see them. She didn't want to see them, Yumi and Fuji.

The couple was walking straight ahead, talking and laughing. Ayumi wanted to grab Mizuki's wrist and vanish before they could see them but it was too late. Yumi spotted her childhood friend. She hastened her pace.

"Hajime, what a coincidence. So, you two are on a date, right?" asked Yumi happily. Mizuki smiled gently at his childhood friend and love.

"That's right. I presume you're doing the same, Yumi." he said.

The said girl smiled widely, as she switched to Ayumi, who was a bit in shock, trying to suppress her feelings.

"Ayumi-chan, you look cute in that dress. Right, Syuusuke?" stated Yumi, turning her attention to Fuji who had finally reached her side.

Ayumi blushed slightly, raising her eyes to find the tensai checking her from head to toes.

"Yes, it suits you well, Kitajima-san." he said, smiling.

"Say, you two. How about hanging out a bit with us? It could be a double date." said Yumi suddenly.

Ayumi gasped silently. She didn't want to see them around. She had gone through so much trouble to build up this good mood, and now it was ruined again.

"You don't mind, do you, Syuusuke?" asked Yumi, again switching back to her boyfriend.

Fuji gazed lovingly at her, as he placed his hand gently onto her cheek. Mizuki's eyebrow jumped up. It ticked him off to see that brown haired sadist touching her right in front of him. Ayumi on the other hand started a bit shaking. It was too much for her.

"I don't mind, Yumi." said Fuji.

The said girl grinned widely, as she took Mizuki's wrist, so that he would follow them. This made Ayumi angry inside. Her insides turn upside down a hundred times. This was the last straw. She had to stop this before she did something stupid.

"Sorry, Yumi-san, Fuji-san. We were out the whole day, so we're kind of tired. We'll be heading back home. Maybe next time." said Ayumi with a fake smile, pulling Mizuki away.

The black haired boy didn't get to say anything when he was pulled quite a distance away. Ayumi hid her eyes behind her bangs, as she dragged Mizuki as far as she could from that couple.

She hated it, when Yumi touched Mizuki in front of Fuji. Sure, they were childhood friends but the blond teen thought that she might take Mizuki away just as she did with Fuji. This made her angry, furious... She couldn't let Yumi take everything away from her.

Ayumi finally stopped when they were far away from Yumi and Fuji. Mizuki looked at her with a sympathetic expression. He knew why she did that, it was obvious for her to avoid them.

"Ayumi, you-" he started but the said girl's sudden action surprised him. Ayumi wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his chest, hiding her face…

"Ayumi?" he asked but the girl simply gripped tighter into his shirt.

He felt her trembling. He almost thought that she was crying but she was just breathing faster. Mizuki looked at Ayumi in his arms, as he tried to comprehend what was wrong with her. Surely, seeing those two wasn't the reason for her to be this hurt.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Ayumi gritted her teeth, as her eyes were constantly wide open, staring far away…

"Nothing." was her only answer.

She didn't stop trembling. Something really got to her; Mizuki felt that. So, he wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. The pain that she had right now couldn't be compared to what he had felt. He knew that, and he wanted to share it with her.

"It's alright. I'm here. I won't leave you." he said gently.

Ayumi felt warmth surging her whole body, as she felt calmer. Somehow those words made her happy. She sighed slightly, a faint shade of pink appearing on her cheeks.

'_I know now what I was afraid of back there. I didn't want him to look at her. I didn't want her to steal him from me. I won't give Hajime up to her. He's… mine.'_ she thought to herself, feeling the gentle embrace.

**Next chapter**

Ayumi's feelings take a new turn. After the Kantou tournament the teens take a break at the seaside… "Ayumi! How is a cramped foot okay while you're swimming? What if you had drowned? Did you even think about how your friends would feel? How would I feel?"


	3. Chapter 3

**White lies**

**Chapter 3 **

**And the four letter word...**

It was a rather cloudy day of the Kantou tournament preliminaries. Since the girls' match started a bit later, the Seigaku boys and girls walked together to their designated places.

"Huh… I hope it doesn't rain anytime soon." said the blue haired vice-captain Yumi, walking next to Fuji. The tensai glanced at his girlfriend and smiled with reassurance.

"Tsk. I really don't wanna play in this sucky weather." stated the black haired captain of Seigaku girl's team. The stoic boy next to her sighed in slight dissatisfaction of her words.

"Sayaka, mind your words, please." said Tezuka gently. The said girl beside him could only smirk in return. She was happy that he was paying attention to her.

"Well, even if it does rain, it won't hinder us from winning and advancing to the next round. Right, Inui?" said Fuji with his usual gentle smirk.

The said bespectacled data king only adjusted his glasses, scribbling something down in his notebook.

"Advancement to the next round: 100%." was the only thing he said.

"Hmph. Most certainly for us. I don't know about the girls though." exclaimed Echizen, adjusting his cap and glancing with a meaningful look at Sayaka. The raven haired girl caught his tone of voice as she smirked at him. Everyone came to a halt as they were about to part ways.

"Hn. Don't be so cheeky, Ryo-kun." said Sayaka to her cousin. She then quickly grinned in excitement and attacked the poor boy with pinching his cheeks.

"Awww! I so wanted to see chibisuke playing in a match!" said Sayaka loudly while continuing her torture. The boys, along with Tezuka could only sweat drop at the scene.

"Saya-nee-san! Stop it! Cut it out!" shouted Echizen, while trying to pry the teen away from him. When he managed to do it, he said "Just try not lose in your first round."

The teen stared at the boy for a second before attacking him again.

"Eeeeh? What's this? Ryo-kun is worried about me? So cute!" she wailed loudly.

"Saya-nee-san!" yelled Echizen in embarrassment. The teens around him started laughing at their cute relationship.

Sayaka then stopped her attacks on Echizen and withdrew, giving him a satisfied smile.

"Don't worry." said the black haired captain.

Sayaka then walked up to Tezuka. She gently reached out her hand and touched his cheek. Before the hazel-brown haired teen could react, Sayaka gave him a swift peck on the cheek.

"Only after you win, Mitsu." said Sayaka while pointing with her fingers onto her lips. The teen in front of her blushed slightly, understanding the meaning behind her words. He then sighed and smiled back.

She then grinned and signaled the girls to follow her. Both boys and girls waved at each other.

"Good luck, Rika-chan!" called out Momoshiro to a certain brown haired girl. The girl glared at the Momoshiro.

"Who are you calling 'Rika-chan'?!" she shouted and turned her back to him swiftly. The spiky haired boy only sighed and hung his head down. Eiji only patted the poor boy on the shoulder. Rika then slowly glanced back once more and smirking lightly.

"Baka." she whispered.

The girls slowly walked to their assigned courts. Ayumi looked around with a slight anxious face expression. The blond teen then looked at her cell phone fondly. Haruhi noticed her acting weird. It seemed to her that she was looking for someone.

'_I want to see him.'_ thought Ayumi. The blond girl then pushed her cell phone into her pocket.

"Sorry, captain, I need to go to the bathroom. Be right back!" she stated and quickly dashed back the same direction they just came. Haruhi watched her best friend suspiciously. She then said the same excuse and followed the blond girl.

'_The toilets are in the opposite direction, Ayu-chan.' _thought Haruhi.

Ayumi ran back to where the boys were supposed to have their matches. She slowed down her pace and looked desperately around to spot a certain wavy haired boy. She really needed to see Mizuki. As she searched from one court to the other, she couldn't seem to find him. Her eyes saddened as she felt her heart sink into a dark pit.

"Hajime." she whispered.

Just then from the corner of her eyes she finally spotted the St. Rudolph jersey. Ayumi turned in that direction, as a big smile appeared onto her face. As she looked on with a gentle expression, she slowly took a few steps towards them. She looked on as Mizuki talked to his teammates. He then glanced to his left and noticed the golden haired girl staring at him. Mizuki widened his eyes but smiled gently just as quickly. He knew why she was there because he felt the same way.

Ayumi waited patiently until Mizuki finally dismissed his teammates. The black haired teen walked up to Ayumi. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Mizuki smiled tenderly.

"What's wrong, Ayumi?" he asked finally.

"Eh?" asked the said girl. She was pretty sure she wasn't looking worried or anything for him to ask that.

"Well, I mean, you came all the way here and now you're not saying anything. I thought maybe you needed some advice or something." said Mizuki. The blond teen chuckled to his statement. His guesses could be off sometimes.

"Or maybe you needed some data on your opponents?" he continued. Mizuki blinked, as Ayumi then looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Nothing of the sort. I just wanted to see you, that's all." she said with a wide smile. A slight shade of pink appeared on Mizuki's cheeks but then disappeared just as fast. He then smiled back in relief.

"Really, Ayumi…" he mumbled.

As Mizuki was relieved that nothing bothered his girlfriend, some teens suddenly walked past them, talking about them rather loudly. It seemed that it was too soon to be relieved.

"Oh, look at those two. They're probably exchanging information on their teams." said the girl walking next to the boy.

"Seriously, they're from different schools and meeting right before the match on top of it all. How can their teammates even trust that?" said the boy.

As Ayumi listened, her heart cracked at their words. It wasn't the truth. They knew nothing about them but still it hurt her. She already heard the same words at her school before. Despite it all, she still decided to see Mizuki because he was the only one who could understand her.

"I know, right? I bet their teammates don't trust them at all!" said the girl again.

Ayumi's eyes saddened as she lowered her head and let out a silent gasp. Mizuki noticed her becoming sad and devastated. She started to tremble, as the couple near them continued to talk trash about them loudly. Mizuki didn't like it. Just a second ago the girl in front of him smiled at him with a bright smile which made him happy. Because of that smile he thought that this cloudy day became bright and clear to him. And now it was gone.

Mizuki's body moved on its own, as he hugged her, covering her ears. Ayumi widened her eyes in surprise.

"Haji-"

"Don't listen to them. You and I know the truth. They know nothing about us, Ayumi." whispered Mizuki gently, as he hugged her tightly.

The girl in his arms returned his embrace and rather listened to his heartbeat. She didn't care less about that couple anymore. All she could listen to was his heartbeat. It calmed her down.

Just when Mizuki was about to glare back at the couple who talked behind their backs, he noticed a certain purple haired girl, wearing the Seigaku jersey, emitting a dark and angry aura right in front of him.

"Hey, you two! Stop talking trash about my best friend! 'Exchanging information'? 'Our teammates don't trust her'? That's pure bullshit! Ayu-chan would never do that and our team trusts her! I trust her!" shouted Haruhi in rage. Ayumi turned her head in her best friend's direction.

"Haruhi." said the blond teen. She smiled lightly. She knew that Haruhi would trust her. It made her happy.

"If you dare say one more word about Ayu-chan, I will personally crush you." stated the purple haired girl, sending a threatening glare.

This scared the couple, as they finally walked away. Haruhi kept on glaring at them until they disappeared from their sight. The teen then sighed and turned to her best friend, who was still clinging to Mizuki.

"Ayu-chan, you know better not to do this kind of thing during the tournament, especially before a match. Of course, people will talk." lectured Haruhi. Ayumi lowered her head and smiled faintly.

"Un. I know. Thank you, Haruhi." said the blond teen. Haruhi could only sigh in return. She then signaled her that they needed to go.

"Sorry, Hajime. It's my fault it turned out like this. I'm sorry I dragged-"

"It's okay, Ayumi. I don't mind. Besides, it would be only unfair if you're the only one bearing this weight on your shoulders." he said reassuringly.

A glow reflected in Ayumi's eyes. Those words surprised even Haruhi. She thought that Mizuki was only using her best friend but for the first time she felt something warm coming from the couple. Could she trust it?

Mizuki then hugged Ayumi once more, as he whispered, "Depend on me a bit more, okay?"

Ayumi felt her heart pounding fiercely as his words sunk deep inside. It made her feel warm.

Mizuki finally let her go and smiled widely. Ayumi returned it and walked past Haruhi. Before the purple haired girl could follow her best friend, Mizuki said something that made Haruhi stop.

"Thank you for what you did just now." said Mizuki. Haruhi glared at him.

"Just so we're clear, I did it only for Ayu-chan. Hn." she retorted and followed Ayumi shortly.

Mizuki stood there for a while, watching his girlfriend until they disappeared from his sight. His eyes then softened, as he sighed. He had been thinking about it for the past few days but still it concerned him. It made him even more anxious after this incident.

'_I'm well aware that I like Ayumi and I admit it too. Still, what exactly made me act the way I did just now? It's not like me at all.'_ thought Mizuki.

He then walked back to his team. The preliminaries had already started…

* * *

><p>Before their short summer vacation break...<p>

Mizuki was in his room minding his own business when his cell phone started ringing. He took it and blinked for a while while looking at the screen.

„Unknow number?" he mumbled. He then decided to pick it up anyway.

„Hello?" answered Mizuki. He heard a familiar laugh on the other end.

„O, so you really didn't change your number! Hey, Mizuki, long time... errr.. no talk? Haha! How are you doing?" asked the male voice on the phone.

Mizuki frowned slightly and then sighed as he recognized the all too talkative male voice. It was his former classmate from Middle school, Nakanishi Makoto.

„It's been a while, Makoto-kun. May I ask on what occasion you're calling me all of a sudden?" asked Mizuki. He wasn't really fond of talking to him but nevertheless they interacted quite often during Middle school.

„How cold! Anyway, remember the rock band that I was in back in Middle school?" asked Makoto.

„What about it?" countered Mizuki.

„Well, our lead guitarist, Ichijou Rinnosuke, he's back in town and wants to re-form the band." said Makoto and waited for some reaction from his former classmate. Mizuki simply listened indiferently.

„And? What does it have to do with me?" asked Mizuki.

„Well, you most certainly do remember Hotaru, the lead vocalist, right?" said Makoto slowly. Something clicked inside of Mizuki. Surely, he knew her.

„She disappeared right before graduation. Not even Rin can reach her. We need your help to find her. I heard your data gathering is pretty good." continued Makoto with his story.

„And why should I? It probably was the fault on your side that she disap-"

„Don't say that, Mizuki! I know that deep down inside you actually really do want to find her. After all, you always loved her." stated Makoto with confidence. There was silence for a while before one of them finally spoke.

„Fine. I'll give you some time. I'll call in a few days to hear an answer from you. See ya!" said Makoto and hung up.

Mizuki put his cell phone on the table. He sat down and looked out the window.

„Hotaru, huh?" he mumbled.

* * *

><p>The summer vacation had finally arrived. Certainly, the teams were doing some training but some relaxation was needed as well. So, they headed for the beach.<p>

Seigaku boys and girls were having a fun day. Ayumi invited Mizuki along. Some of his teammates were there as well. Yuuta was there too because Fuji was also there. Other schools were also enjoying the warm and sunny day.

Shortly after they had arrived Ayumi already got hit on by a few guys. However, she quickly brushed them off just. She disliked clingy guys, besides she didn't want Mizuki to get involved. Even though she felt that way, Ayumi couldn't help but glance at Mizuki, who was simply reading a book in the shade. Ayumi got a bit dissapointed that he didn't get jealous like he did when Yanagizawa was hitting on her a few weeks ago.

'_He could've at least glared this way or something. Oh, well.'_ thought Ayumi to herself.

Just then, „Ayu-chan! Come play beach volleyball with us!" called Haruhi to her best friend.

They started playing beach volleyball with the other Seigaku members. It was a friendly and fun game between the teens.

Mizuki, however didn't leave Ayumi unnoticed. While reading, he lifted his eyes from the book and watched Ayumi for a while. The sun was shining brightly and it illuminated Ayumi's golden strands of hair. Her smile became even more dazzling. The black haired boy realized it, as he looked on.

'_Ah, I must admit I'm mesmerized by her right now. The way she's smiling, it's so... charming.' _he thought. It was true what he thought and what he felt.

Just then realized that he was staring at the blond teen. Mizuki blushed and turned his attention back to the book, but still his thoughts drifted back to Ayumi. He couldn't concentrate on a single word anymore.

Ayumi, on the other hand, glanced at Mizuki during her game. She thought that she should spend time rather with him, since he seemed lonely. Ayumi then walked up to Mizuki.

„Hey, Hajime. Come join us. It's fun!" she offered. The said boy lifted his head from the book and stared at her.

„Umm... No, it's okay. You go ahead." Mizuki refused politely.

Ayumi frowned slightly at his response. She then smirked and took his book away, dragging him to swim with her.

„Hey! Ayumi, stop! Wait!" he called out but the said girl didn't listen.

As Ayumi ran into the water, she splashed Mizuki. A bit annoyed, Mizuki did the same. However, he lightened up just as fast.

„Come on, Hajime! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!" called out Ayumi happily.

As the black haired teen looked on, he realized as to why he liked Ayumi. He really liked the chearful and bright side of her.

'_Really, summer is hot this year. No, it might be just too dazzling for me.'_ he thought and then smirked to himself.

Ayumi then suddenly ran further in and swam into the deep a bit.

„Wait, Ayumi! Don't swim too far!" warned Mizuki.

„It's fine! Hajime, swim over here!" called out the said girl. Just then her foot got a cramp. Ayumi noticed just in time to start calling out to Mizuki.

„Hajime! Help! I can't move my foot!" she shouted, as she started drowning.

Mizuki got terrified, as he didn't have time to think. He rushed in to save her. He managed to get her and himself out of the water. While clinging to Mizuki, Ayumi caught out some water out of her lungs.

The wavy haired teen put her down on the blanket and inspected her foot first. With a serious face expression, it took Mizuki a while until he massaged her foot back to normal. Nothing could explain what he felt back there. He was terrified and already imagined the worst but refrained from remembering, since he didn't want to burst everything out at once.

„Hajime, it's no big deal. It was just a cramp, nothing serious." stated Ayumi with a faint smile, noticing that it took quite long for Mizuki to inspect her foot.

Although, he just promised himself that he didn't want to remember, he couldn't help it. Her words made something crack inside of him.

"Ayumi! How is a cramped foot okay while you're swimming? What if you had drowned? Did you even think about how your friends would feel? How would I feel?" shouted Mizuki. He got infuriated, as he scolded her.

This caused the blond haired teen to stare at him for a while before she realized her actions. She didn't think about how he would feel. It made her happy that he said something like that to her.

„I'm sorry." was the only thing she said. Mizuki sighed in anger but still in great relief that nothing had happened to her.

„Seriously..." he mumbled. He then covered her body with a towel and sat down with his back to Ayumi.

The blond girl watched his back fondly, with a slight glow in her eyes. She slowly moved closer and rested her head against his broad back. Mizuki widened his eyes, when he felt her warmth against his skin.

„Thank you, Hajime." said Ayumi gently.

Mizuki's heart skipped a beat after she said those words. His eyes still showed a bit of anger and fear, as he, not letting her notice, put his hand to his mouth. He tried to calm his heart down. 'She's okay. She's right beside you, right?' was what he was trying to tell himself to finally calm down after such an experience where he nearly lost something precious to him.

Both of them simply continued to sit in silence, not a word uttered after her words.

**Next chapter**

„You have no idea how I felt back then. Don't ever make me go through that again. Ever."

„What if by chance Hotaru suddenly came out of the blue and confessed her love for you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**White Lies**

**Chapter 4**

**I'm the seeker, and maybe your each word calls for me**

After the sunny afternoon at the beach some of the teens decided to finish the day by going for karaoke. As the sun was setting, Ayumi, Mizuki, Haruhi, Kikumaru, Momo, Rika and several St. Rudolph regulars were making their way through the streets.

"What's wrong, Ayu-chan?" asked Haruhi, noticing the blond teen not in her previous spirit that she had during the day.

The said girl smiled faintly, saying, "Say, Haruhi, do I really have to go?"

"Well, everyone is going. Why do you ask?" inquired the purple haired girl with confusion.

Ayumi just grinned back innocently, "Umm, I can't really sing, so-"

"Oh, no you don't! Don't give me that excuse, Ayu-chan!" said Haruhi strongly. "I won't let you diss me like you always do, so at least this one time you will go along with my selfish request." finished the purple headed girl her rant.

Ayumi could only chuckle innocently and say nothing. She tried to make eye contact with Mizuki but he was distracted by his teammates, so he was unable to give any support to his girlfriend in this matter.

"Besides-" continued Haruhi, "-even if you say that you can't sing, I believe that with our efforts we, girls, will score much better than the boys." declared the purple head with confidence.

"Excuse me. Mind repeating that again, please?" asked Momo slightly annoyed at his senpai's statement.

Ayumi could only sigh and continue following her best friend, as Momo and Haruhi were declaring a "sing-off" competition as soon as they arrive. The blond teen had to admit that she just wanted to stay longer with her friends. That included Mizuki...

"Ne, Hajime, are you okay with coming along?" finally Ayumi got a chance to interact with Mizuki after a very long while. Mizuki glanced briefly at his girlfriend but then switched his gaze back to the street.

"W-Well, I don't mind." was his reply. _'I just don't want to answer to Makoto's call yet.'_ the wavy haired teen thought regretfully.

He simply needed an excuse for his ex-classmate to make him wait a while longer. Mizuki was still not sure if he wanted to accept Makoto's offer.

* * *

><p>Karaoke...<p>

The group of teens finally had arrived to the karaoke. They entered a room. It was slightly bigger than usual since they had quite a lot of people there. Some of them were sitting waiting for their turn to sing patiently, while others were chatting and eating some snacks happilly.

„Mou, Haru-chan!" wailed Eiji. „I've been waiting for my turn for so long!" Eiji said with dissatisfaction, as he puffed his cheeks like a little kid who didn't get his candy.

„Keep your pants on, jeez!" retorted Haruhi. She still was not done with competing against Momo. They were on a sing-off competition right now, so no one dared to disturbed them.

Ayumi simply chuckled at their competitiveness. What made her even more nervous was that she was sitting right next to Mizuki.

The wavy haired boy also felt tense when sitting next to his girlfriend. They felt a little bit awkward after the incident prior that day. Suddenly, Ayumi got pushed more towards Mizuki. She fell onto his shoulder. They glanced at each other quickly. Ayumi's eyes met those of Mizuki and she couldn't help but go all red over her face.

„O-Oh, s-sorry, Hajime. I didn't mean to-" started the blond teen, however, Mizuki placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. This action made Ayumi blush even more, as heat rushed to her ears.

„D-Don't worry. It's okay, Ayumi." said Mizuki also blushing slightly. He looked away briefly but then turned back and smiled soflty at Ayumi.

The blond teen could only do the same in return. She was glad that she came along. The awkwardness suddenly disappeared, as both lovers sat next to each other through the whole event.

„Ne, Ayu-chan. You still haven't sung anything. Which song do you want to choose?" asked Haruhi abruptly. The said teen's body twitched a little, as she felt anxious. Mizuki noticed it instantly.

„U-Ummm... Haru-chan, it's okay. I'm not good at singing. I'll pass." Ayumi responded while looking at her knees. Mizuki noticed her face expression flush slightly. He didn't want to see her become sad.

„Eeee? But, Ayu-chan-" started Haruhi, however, she swallowed her words when Mizuki interrupted her.

„She said she doesn't want to. Just leave my girlfriend alone, okay?" said Mizuki in a serious tone. Haruhi's eyebrow jumped up for an instant but then she sighed and turned back to the screen.

„Okay, I get it." said the purple haired teen. Ayumi let out a sigh of relief, as she turned to her savior.

„Thanks." whispered Ayumi with a smile. Mizuki simply grinned in return.

„Oh, I wanna try this song." said Haruhi as she chose the next song. It changed to a heavy rock melody as an intro. „Geh, this will be hard. I don't think I can pitch high enough."

„What? Giving up now, senpai?" asked Momo with a victorious smirk. Haruhi felt a vein appear on her forehead.

„Well, sorry, I'm not good at singing heavy rock songs! I bet no one actually can sing this one perfectly." retorted the said girl.

„Hmm, actually, I remember there was one girl who covered this song before. Her band actually did a full heavy rock version of it and it was mind blowing since her voice could keep up with the music. What was her name again?" suddenly said Rika. Ayumi's eyes widened, as she felt anxious again. She knew of whom they were talking about.

„Hotaru." said Mizuki simply. Ayumi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing the name.

„Ah, but I heard that they separated because Hotaru suddenly disappeared. I wonder what happened. I really liked to listen to her voice." said Haruhi absend-minded, completely forgetting about her turn to sing.

Ayumi lifted her head with a confused look on her face only to find her best friend looking at her feet with sadly. When Mizuki noticed the blond teen tense again, he got a bit suspicious. Maybe she knew something.

„Ayumi, do you know anything?" he asked. Ayumi shot her head towards Mizuki, as she tried to hide her anxiety.

„E-Eh? N-No, I don't really know. I'm not interested in that kind of music anyway." she lied. Mizuki lifted his eyebrow but then sighed and didn't question her any further.

Ayumi sighed in relief and finally calmed down when noticed that everyone dropped the topic and moved on to a next one.

_'What have I done? I should have just stopped when I had the chance. Damn it! How long can I keep hiding? I just want to live a normal life!'_ thought the blond teen.

Mizuki on the other hand was occupied with his own thoughts. Upon hearing people mentioning Hotaru, he finally realized as to what he wanted to do. He quickly glanced at Ayumi. _'Do I love her?' _he questioned himself.

Suddenly he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it in his hand and sighed upon reading the one who disturbed his thoughts. It was Makoto. He had no choice but to excuse himself and walk outside to answer the call. Ayumi watched the wavy haired boy walk outside with a bothered look on his face.

„Hajime..." she whispered.

Mizuki finally came out of the hallway, where it was a bit more silent. He finally answered the call.

„Mou, Mizuki, what took you so long? I've been calling for-" said the boy on the other end of the call.

„I know, Makoto. Do you have time tonight? I'll give you my answer once we meet." said Mizuki calmly. At the same time Ayumi walked up behind him. She couldn't help but be worried about him.

„Okay. So it's settled then. Bye." muttered Mizuki as he finished his call. He turned around and spotted Ayumi standing with a worried face expression.

„Is everything alright, Hajime?" she asked walking closer to him, so that they were only one step away from each other. The said boy widened his eyes briefly but then smiled softly.

„Ah, it's okay. I'm sorry I can't stay longer to walk you back home. I have something I need to do." he said with an apologetic look on his face. Ayumi simply smiled in return.

„Don't worry. I understand. Be careful on your way back." said the blond girl.

„Ah, thank you, Ayumi. I'll call you later then." he said with a glow in his eyes. Mizuki wanted to say something else but hesitated. He was about to turn his back to Ayumi when she said something that maid him stop.

„I'm sorry... about what happened earlier today. I'm really sorry, Hajime." she said softly. Mizuki turned his attention back at her.

„And also I'm thankful for what you said to me. I'm happy... that you said those words to me. I promise that I'll never... ever do it again." said Ayumi gazing into Mizuki's eyes.

The boy in front of her remembered the moment when he almost lost the most precious person to him. He also recalled the feelings he had when it happened and what he would do if Ayumi had disappeared from his side. He was terrified at that thought alone. He didn't want to remember it again. His body moved on it's own, as he hugged her gently.

Ayumi felt startled when noticed Mizuki trembling. He hugged her tighter, feeling her warm body in his arms. The blond teen decided to return his embrace, so she hugged him as tight as she could.

„You have no idea..." he said in a whisper.

„Eh?" inquired Ayumi. Mizuki slowly let her go. He cupped her face in between his hands and gazed lovingly into her eyes.

„You have no idea how I felt back then. Don't make me go through something like that ever again. Ever." he said in a whisper again. Caught by the loving gaze, Ayumi blushed madly.

„I promise." were her only words as she returned the same look of love. Mizuki smiled soflty upon her words.

Captivated by the sweet smell of her hair, Mizuki lost control and kissed her. It was more passionate than the times he had kissed her before. Ayumi gripped tighter around his torso. They merely pulled away for a split second to catch their breath, when Mizuki pulled her even closer into a mind blowing kiss. The blond teen couldn't keep her knees from shaking. She felt heat rushing from Mizuki's body, as her heart started beating so loud that she could hear it herself. Mizuki didn't want to let her go. He loved the sweet smell of her hair, the softness of her skin... He needed to go. He had to finally set his feelings straight. So he slowly let her go.

„Ayumi... I'm sorry. I must go." he said slowly.

„Ah, be careful." she said silently. She still couldn't stop blushing. Mizuki finally walked into the streets.

Ayumi slowly slid down to the floor, as heat rushed to her ears. She blushed madly, putting her palm in front of her mouth. Ayumi removed her palm from her mouth and hit the back of her head against a wall. She closed her eyes, as she realized something.

'_I'm such an idiot!' _she scolded. _'I'm already in love with him.'_ she thought, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling.

Mizuki walked down the street, blushing a shade of red. He tried to comprehend as to why he did that, although, his answer was already clear to him. He just needed to confirm one last thing before moving on.

'_I really like her so much...'_ he thought and walked further to his meeting point with Makoto.

* * *

><p>A few days had passed...<p>

Ayumi and Mizuki met up in the park for a date. They sat on the bench next to each other. Ayumi still couldn't forget what happened a few days ago at the karaoke before Mizuki left for some business.

Ayumi glanced at her boyfriend who was occupied with reading his notes. She then remembered the moment when he kissed her that day. She could still feel the heat on her lips. The blond teen blond teen blushed even harder when Mizuki noticed her staring at him. He turned his head to her but Ayumi quickly looked the other way. She felt embarassed when he looked at her.

Mizuki simply blinked stupidly and then decided to put his notes into his pocket. Ayumi decided to make a first move and set her feelings straight.

„Ne, Hajime?" she asked, confirming that she had his attention.

„Hm?" he inquired.

„Say, did you ever have a crush on someone else besides Yumi-chan before?" she asked suddenly. Mizuki shot his head towards Ayumi in an instant, surprise written all over his face.

„Eh? Why do you ask all of a sudden?" he inquired.

„Umm... I was just wondering, that's all. It's okay if you don't want to tell me." she said and briefly glanced at Mizuki. The boy next to her just blinked at her unexpected question.

„Huh..." he sighed. Ayumi then looked up at the sky.

„Well, for me... I actually had a crush even before Fuji-san. A, that reminds me. I think it will be my third time or so falling in love already." she said absent minded and chuckled at her silly statement.

„Third time?" asked Mizuki in surprise. Ayumi turned back her attention to Mizuki and grinned widely.

„I'm actually the type of person who falls in love quickly. Must seem preety silly..." she said sadly this time, looking at the ground. Mizuki kept on looking at her.

„I think it just means that you can find love in people easily, no matter what other people might think of them." said Mizuki in full seriousness. Ayumi widened her eyes at his statement. She stared at him, for she had never thought of it that way. Mizuki slowly looked up at the sky.

„Actually, I did have a crush on someone besides Yumi." he said, answering her previous question. Ayumi listened intently.

„Remember? At the karaoke your friend mentioned her. She was quite popular during Middle School, where everyone actually knew her as Hotaru." he paused. Ayumi stared at him in utter anxiety. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'_Wait... What? Are you saying that-' _she thought getting utterly nervous.

„Well, I think that Hotaru wasn't her real name, since no one could ever find our to which school she went. And all of other details and information about her was simply hidden or just mere speculations by her fans. Even her appearance back then was probably just a disguise so that no one could annoy her and she could freely sing to her hearts content. " Mizuki continued after taking a breath and looking straight in front of him.

„Ah, I loved her voice. I even used to go to listen to her performance with her band." he chuckled. „Or maybe I should rather describe it as love than some mere crush. I think I might have had much stronger feelings for that girl than Yumi. Even now... maybe I might still harbor those feelings." he finally finished his story.

Ayumi kept on staring at Mizuki in shock. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing his last sentence. She then gathered all of her strength and took a deep breath...

„W-What would you do if by chance Hotaru suddenly came out of the blue and confessed her love for you?" she asked right off the bat. Mizuki stared at her in surprise. He had never expected such a question from her. He then laughed softly. The blond teen in front of him blinked stupidly.

„Haha! That would never happen! Not even in a hundred years!" he states with laughter. Ayumi then made an annoyed face and turned, away blushing hard.

„Have more confidence in yourself, jeez." she mumbled under her breath. Mizuki stopped laughing and asked her if she wanted to go somewhere else. Ayumi smiled softly, agreeing on changing the date place.

* * *

><p>After the date had finished, Ayumi walked into her room. She slowly closed it, as she down with her back to the door. She curled up her knees to her body, wrapping her arms around them. Her whole body started shaking. Her thoughts and feelings were all confused.<p>

'_Ah, how should I even react to this?'_ she thought to herself. _'I partially confessed to Hajime. I'm such an idiot! Why did I have to open my big mouth?' _she scolded as she closed her eyes.

Her memory slowly drifted back. She opened her eyes and she was standing on a stage with a crowd right in front of her. As she looked on she saw Mizuki standing at the back gazing lovingly at her. He smiled softly. Slowly, Ayumi's thoughts came back to the present, where she was in her room.

„Ah... so it was him." she sighed with regret. „So much love in his eyes."

Ayumi then remembered the events of today and the things that Mizuki said to her.

„**Even now... maybe I might still harbor those feelings.****"**

„**What would you do if **** by chance Hotaru suddenly came out of the blue and confessed her love for you?"**

„**Haha! That would never happen! Not even in a hundred years!"**

Ayumi slowly opened her mouth, „What if I say that it already happened? **Hotaru** is in love with you." she said but then gasped softly as she realized something that she never wanted to know. Now she didn't know whether she should be happy or sad about his confession.

„What if he only loves **'Hotaru' **and not **'me'**? What if he finds out that **Hotaru** is **me**? What then? What should I do?" she questioned herself as she cried into her knees, hugging them tighter.

'_I'm happy that he might like Hotaru more than Yumi. That means that he might even accept me but-'_ she thought as she cried even harder. _'No, I don't want that. I want Hajime's love for __**'me'**__ alone and not only because I'm __**Hotaru**__. That's why-'_

„He must never find out." she stated, as she buried her face even deeper into her knees.

„I'm so scared..."


End file.
